Dan Evans is set to retire from his playing career at Wimbledon.
The British star announced his decision on social media earlier this week, ending an 18-year chapter on the ATP Tour circuit.
Evans has played some of the best players in tennis history throughout his storied career, including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
How do you feel about Dan Evans not being handed a wildcard for Queen’s? 🤔
The trio are widely considered to be the three greatest male players of all time; winning 66 Grand Slam titles between them.
With their greatness noted, who did Dan Evans find the most difficult to play against?
Dan Evans says Roger Federer was his toughest opponent of the ‘Big Three’
Roger Federer is regarded as one of the more polite, humble figures in the sport; despite all he has achieved.
For the vast majority of his career, the Swiss star acted with grace and decorum, conveying a down-to-earth attitude when commenting on a variety of topics.
“I spent a bit of time around Roger training and practicing. He was just a normal fella,” Dan Evans said on the Tennis Podcast.
“He wasn’t walking around in gold slippers or a gold plated car.
“He turned up and was a normal fella. That is how I took him on the court. I worked my nuts off and tried as hard as I could and that was it. I was not scared to say ‘come on’ against him.
“But I was never rude to those guys or people on the court full stop. I just enjoyed my games against them. I tried and I beat one of them, that was it. It was a good day out!
“I enjoyed playing all of them. That’s what I played tennis for. That’s what I think people don’t get. If you are 50 or 30 you don’t get to play on the top courts every week.
Dan Evans’ record against Roger Federer
- 2016 Wimbledon: Federer defeated Evans 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the third round
- 2019 Australian Open: Federer defeated Evans 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the second round
- 2019 US Open: Federer defeated Evans 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the third round
- 2021 Qatar Open: Federer defeated Evans 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 in the round of 16
“I could make semi-finals of the tournament and not play on the centre court of the tournament. That’s the facts. But people think what they see on Tennis TV or Sky Sports is it, but it’s not that. There’s two other courts out there where a man and his dog might be watching.
“So when you get the chance to play those guys on the big courts you have got to go out there and enjoy it. There is no point in freezing and not taking your chance.
“That is your chance to perform and show everyone what you have got.”
Evans went on to identify Federer as his toughest opponent out of the ‘Big Three.’
“I think the one you could not beat when he was on, or you didn’t get a match, was Roger,” the 2015 Davis Cup champion continued. “You just didn’t play tennis. It was like the ball is there and it’s gone past you.
“But if you were playing well, like I played Djokovic last year at Wimbledon, and I was playing well – really well – and he was just way better. That was different.
“When you play Rafa he is just relentless. So I think that’s what makes them all so good, they were all so different to each other and styles make fights.”
What did Dan Evans say after playing Roger Federer for the first time?
Federer and Evans played each other for the first time in 2016 at Wimbledon.
Evans had defeated Jan-Lennard Struff and Alexandr Dolgopolov to reach the third round in London, while Federer had overcome Guido Pella and Marcus Willis.
Federer emerged victorious from their third-round contest, beating Evans 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
“It was good,” said Evans after the match, as per BBC Sport. “A bit surreal actually seeing him down the other end. Yeah, it was tough to just get used to. I mean, so many people.
“It was very different to what I am used to. I didn’t expect it to be so sort of on top of me. It was pretty, like, close. It was really close.
“It was just an amazing experience just to play him. I don’t think I played too bad, I just didn’t serve very well. I enjoyed it.”
